Shedeur Sanders smashes Tom Brady record amid $297million payday despite losing grip on Browns job

Shedeur Sanders is earning around 20 times more off the field than he is on it.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback went from fourth-string to surprise All-Pro in his rookie season after sliding to the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

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There were suggestions that being Hall of Famer Deion’s son may have contributed to that as teams were put off by the noise, allowing Cleveland to take a shot on a team-friendly $4.6 million deal.

But Shedeur has benefitted from the family name when it comes to endorsements.

His average annual salary comes in a just over $1 million, which pales in comparison to the staggering $17.7 million in group licensing income he made in 2025.

To put that in perspective, Tom Brady held the all-time record with $9.5 million in the 2021-2022 campaign.

The NFL Players Association filed its annual report with the Department of Labor this week which revealed Sanders as the main beneficiary of a record $297 million pot.

Group licensing covers deals which include six or more players, with jerseys, trading cards, video games, and other collectibles being among the best examples.

Marketing income from appearances and hospitality promotions is also included, but individual deals are left out.

Sanders has partnerships with Gatorade, Delta Airlines, Beats by Dre, and Ralph Lauren and Front Office Sports claims he probably made over $20 million off the field.

The overall pot jumped from $202.6 million a year previous, where Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy came out on top with a cut worth just over $4 million.

Panini was a major contributor and rookies usually do well as they launch their first official collectables as pros.

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Travis Hunter — Sanders’ former teammate under Deion at Colorado — took $12.8 million and would have broken the record himself.

Patrick Mahomes came in No. 3 with $8 million in another boost as he continues to defy timelines with his injury recovery.

Browns in another QB battle

Sanders will continue to cash in as a sophomore but faces being relegated to the bench.

Throughout Browns OTAs, suggestions from reporters on the ground and former pros have suggested Deshaun Watson is in pole position.

“I got a lot of sources and connections over there, players, you know what I’m saying,” six-time Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy told Speakeasy. “They say Deshaun Watson looks good over there.

“I ain’t believe it, though, he’s been so God damn bad, but they say he’s rolling right now.

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“I think with the new offense, new coach over there, things are looking different for him.”

New coach Todd Monken is the man making the call and offered some words of encouragement to the youngster.

“I think Shedeur has come miles in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, his understanding of concepts,” he said. “I think he’s really, really come a long way.”

The Browns QBs will likely learn their fate by the end of spring but their coach isn’t giving anything away.

“Nothing’s changed other than it’s a different day and you’re firing the same questions,” he said. “We’re going to rotate those guys and play the best player. We’ll see.

“You’d love to have it at every position at the end of spring, but you can’t guarantee that. We’ll have it set for [Week 1 opponent] Jacksonville.”

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